\ 
April 13. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
how things were to be. Can it he thought, that a brave 
soldier would raise his hand against a helpless woman, and 
the wife he has sworn to love? What will not otic sin 
produce? One commandment broken; one statute and 
precept cast aside—who can calculate the consequences? 
i First one and then another follow; till the man who may 
at first have said, “ Is thy servant a dog that he should do 
this thing?" fills up the measure of his iniquity. Without 
God's grace there is no security. A man may go steadily 
half his life, for some reason or other, and wrong the other 
half. Worldly reasons shift about just as the wind blows; 
Scripture reasons stand fast for ever. Worldly circum- 
j stances alter; Scriptural influences abide. Nothing shakes 
I hem ; so that if a man is under their power he is safe, and 
may be answered for; if he is not, he is shaken about like 
a lottery ticket, and no one knows whether he may turn out 
a prize or a blank. 
I There may yet be mercy in store for Sparks. He may 
[ yet “ turn and live;” but he is rebelling against his great 
Captain, and he may suffer death for his crime. Readers ! 
1 this is a word for us. We are all soldiers. How are we 
serving our King? “ Not every one that saith Lord, Lord, 
shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doelh 
the will of-my Father which is in heaven.” 
— 
“ LA CHAISE,” JERSEY. 
The pretty secluded and sheltered property recognized 
by the above appropriate cognomen is situated on the 
north-eastern coast of the island, and has, for the last ten 
years, been an object of much attraction to all the lovers of 
Floriculture visiting and residing in the neighbouring locali¬ 
ties. 
About two years preceding the time above specified, an 
elderly gentleman, seeking retirement and seclusion from 
the harassing cares and solicitations attendant on the past 
exertions in behalf of his fellow-creatures, came to the 
island, and after looking about for a place in the which he 
thought he might spend the rest of his days in peace and 
quietness, pitched on this particular spot. He there saw 
many of the conveniences he desired, the beauty of the 
situation being such as to enable him, in fine weather, to 
enjoy the sea-breeze from the top of the hill, which commands 
an extensive view of Iiozel bay and harbour, with the adjoining 
coast, and, across the rippling, bright blue sea, the opposite 
coast of France, upon which lie could, in fine clear weather, 
discern homesteads, church steeples, lines of trees, and 
even human beings on the sandy coast. He also saw, that 
whilst the upper part of this beautiful place was high up, 
and much exposed, there was a southern and a sheltered 
side, where he might build himself, what all Englishmen 
do or ought to love, “ a home,” and surround it with a 
romantically-beautiful and sheltered terrace garden, filled 
with nooks and crannies, in the which he might plant many 
of the bold and majestic foliaged trees and flowering plants 
from farther south, besides multitudes of greenhouse and 
exotic plants, that they might there enjoy the benefit of 
ample room for extending their roots anil, nature’s atmos¬ 
phere for the development of their growths and foliages. 
He knew much about the nature of trees and plants, from 
their having been the objects of his patient attention, care, 
j and study for a long series of years, and felt, that having 
once acquired the property, which he did by paying down 
A'50 old Jersey currency for it, thereby gaining a per cent- 
age of eight and one-third on the value of his British coin 
and paper, which the native proprietor, almost guileless on 
the subject of discount, then most readily received ; but a 
change has come o’er the generality of these gentlemen 
since, and they now understand the meaning of that delight¬ 
ful word “British, ” in its application to pounds, shillings, 
and pence, as well as the veriest “ screw” at the change, 
j If our respected friend had now to make the purchase, he, 
j doubtless, would have to pay the amount in full, and not be 
i allowed the discount. 
Apologizing for this digression on the subject of cupidity, 
[ which so interests or amuses us all, I proceed. The pro- 
| perty acquired, he quarried out the stones for building a 
i cottage and the necessary surrounding walls, according to 
j his own correct views of good taste and applicability to situa¬ 
tion, and then he did not hesitate in proceeding with his 
arrangements for making a garden in that locality which 
nature had already rendered beautiful; he laid it out in the 
most fascinating style, both irregular and beautiful. It was 
sheltered, because protected on the northern and eastern 
sides by the large rocky hill already alluded to; warm, 
because it laid open to the southern and western sun, and 
enjoyed the reflected heat of its protector, “TheRock;” pro¬ 
ductive, because, whilst enjoying the advantage of thorough 
drainage from its peculiar position, it was also benefited 
by every western shower of rain that fell. All things in his 
favour, through the wise selection of the locality and the 
quality of the island climate he began. Yea, he began in j 
earnest! This was gardening ! gardening in reality ! not 
with the assistance of artificial means, but with God’s hand¬ 
maid, Nature. Could any earthly joy surpass the pleasure 
of gardening, with such a helpmate and a heart to realize 
and feel it ? 
Our friend had walls bnilt and vvalks made with the 
pudding-stone and rubbish broken from the outside of the 
rock, and steps, where necessary, to mount to the higher 
terraces and parts of the Cotil, until he had right and left 
made paths and zig-zag ways, so as to be able to get without 
scrambling or great exertion to all parts of the grounds and 
gardens. He planted apple and other trees for the 
production of fruit, and evergreen Oaks, those hardiest of 
evergreen trees, to shelter them from the eastern winds on 
the eastern side. He excavated holes and caves wherever 
they might he useful or ornamental; and for planting the 
more tender favourites, he made irregular and uneven 
edges to all these walks and ways, with the pudding-stones 
selected for the purpose, placing the erustaceous side 
uppermost, so as to increase the romanticity of this already 
romantic place; and then bethought himself, that having so 
much done, he had better begin to place his favourites in 
their intended homes, that they might there do, what he 
himself desired and deserved to do, “ Vegetate in peace." 
But anon ! such is not the man of genius’ lot; he was not 
placed here for such a purpose, and that which was within 
him placed made him and still makes him, although 
threescore and fifteen years have passed over his head, ever 
active and industrious in endeavouring to improve this 
already improved and pretty place; and even this winter, 
much alteration and improvement have been going on 
here in surrounding the summit with a fortification of dry 
W'alls, composed of that peculiar amalgamation called 
pudding-stone, hewed out from the surface of the rock and 
cut in square blocks. 
As might be supposed to he the case, as the natural 
result of his past exertions, our friend has the gratifi¬ 
cation of showing any of his friends or acquaintances 
who may do him the pleasure of calling, or obtaining 
permission to look over the premises (which is readily 
granted), many beautiful clumps and specimens of trees, 
shrubs, and bulbous-rooted plants, not hardy enough to 
thrive in less sheltered localities, but here vegetating in 
all their natural luxuriance and beauty, amongst which may 
be seen large clumps of green Ixias, producing from fifty to 
one hundred spikes of bloom ; Spuraxis of every shade and 
hue, and the beautiful varieties of Gladioli cardinalis and 
insiynis, flowering away in the most beautiful luxuriance 
—the contrast of colours in both one and the other of 
these splendid varieties when seen in masses, and the 
glaring sun shining down upon them, is truly mag¬ 
nificent. Vallotta purpurea, or the Scarlet Amaryllis, named 
purpurea, from some peculiarity not attached to the colour 
of the flower, but, I suppose, from the purplish colour of its 
neck in the early stages of the plant’s growth, also thrives 
and flowers here; the Rosa cromatella, or Cloth of Gold 
Rose tree, here has been the admiration of all visitors who j 
have had the good fortune to view it during the summer 
months flowering in the greatest beauty. It is a magni- j 
ficent specimen. I am informed that flow'ers have been 
gathered from it at forty feet apart from each other; its i 
limits have, however, been lessened during the improve- j 
ments of the past winter; the flowers of this variety of Rose { 
are of a beautiful crom e-yellow colour, and I have frequently 
grown and gathered them five to six inches in diameter ; 
they are large, rich, and fragrant, and generally produced 
on the lateral shoots produced on the long and strong 
